FINLEY
Some monsters live in the shadows. Some live in the depths of your soul. But mine… I keep mine close to the surface, just in case I need them.
For times like now.
The pounding from the body in my trunk sounds in time with my heartbeat.
I clench my hands on the steering wheel, my knuckles white as I try to calm myself down. Maverick just slips into that cold quiet he has.
It’s a trait we share.
The killing quiet.
And this son of a bitch will be lucky if we kill him after what he tried to do to Octavia. When Maverick declared her off-limits, he was being a dick, but he was also trying to protect her. Even if it was in that twisted way of his.
No one touches her but us.
No one.
Raleigh has been left to his own devices for too long. The Knights rarely go after their own, but I don’t care if we’re punished for this. He isn’t a Knight, not yet. And he deserves to scream.
The same way he wanted to make her scream.
Luckily, I’ve never been the squeamish type. Probably not so lucky for him.
“Where are we heading?” Mav asks, piercing the silence. The dark of the night shrouds us, the perfect time for monsters to come out and play.
I glance over at him as he cracks his knuckles, the anger in his eyes reflected in the set of his shoulders and the tic in his jaw. “The Cage.”
My lips curl at the edges just thinking about it, and he barks out a laugh. “Nothing less than what he deserves.”
We drive through Echoes Cove, over the railroad tracks and into the vast wasteland of desert outside the city. Then I keep going. Way beyond the Kings’ territory and into what I like to call the barren lands: stretches of open road with not a soul in sight for miles.
Nothing.
Except for the ruins that cover what is just one of many bases for the Knights.
This one in particular is a nice little hellscape they dreamed up. A headquarters of sorts with a nightmare basement. The Cage. It’s usually reserved for initiation, but I’m pretty sure they won’t mind us going off book.
Not that I’d give a fuck if they did.
The pounding in the trunk stops, and I let out a dry, sharp laugh.
Of course he gave up already.
If he thinks that will save him, he has another thing coming.
We already warned him. He thought that the Knights wanting his mom’s connections would keep him safe.
I guess he’s about to learn that here, you only get one warning.
I pull off the main road onto the dirt backroad, our dust a thick cloud as we make our way across the bumpy terrain. Shouts of pain from the trunk make Mav laugh, low and dangerous, as we drive the eight miles down the dirt road that brings the crumbling building into view.
I look over to Mav as I pull the car to a stop and turn off the engine. “Do not kill him.”
“You spoil all my fun.” He sighs before climbing from the car, practically skipping to the trunk. I meet him there. He’s rubbing his hands together, the look of glee on his face like a kid at Christmas. He might be more than a little unhinged, but I’d trust him with my life.
I push the button to unlock the trunk of the sedan, stepping back as it pops open. Raleigh’s bound body comes into view, his eyes wide as he tries to shout around the gag in his mouth. I step forward and rip it away, letting him scream into the night.